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Directions: Thesis and Beyond

Well, I’m a third of the way towards my M.F.A. thesis and I need to start looking (already) at what I’m doing after this. I’m not as anxious as I thought I would be, but that’s probably because I’m excited at some of the possibilities of what I could do.

First, I’ve had the dream for years of studying Tibetan and Buddhism more intensely, so I’m checking out some Buddhist Studies Programs with Language. There are quite a few in India and Nepal that teach in English, but I’m concerned about financing this thing, so I’m focusing more within the United States. I should be receiving info from Naropa Institute soon.

Second, I’m eying the University of Buffalo Poetics program as another option. I think poetics will be where I end up either way, but I’m not certain yet if I want to focus first on Buddhist scholarship (it has long influenced my writing and thinking) so as to work on some idea of a Buddhist Poetic Methodology using digital techniques and programming as a set of tools toward this end, or if I want to jump right into studying digital poetics.

These are the ideas I’m working with, but it also might end up still with me taking some years to work before moving (I think) back to academia. I’m coming to like the role of teacher and the idea of being a professor more and more now. I think it may be the place that I belong best in, in this society at least.